WTO - World Trade Organization

Published purpose

This grant is Canada’s contribution to the World Trade Organization - Aid for Trade Initiative. Specifically, this contribution supports the Standards and Trade Development Facility and the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. The Standards and Trade Development Facility provides technical assistance to developing countries to help them meet sanitary and phytosanitary standards to promote trade. Sanitary and phystosanitary standards help countries to improve their food safety, to improve animal and plant health, and to gain access to markets for food and agricultural products. The Facility’s mandate is to increase awareness, strengthen collaboration, identify and disseminate good practices, and provide support for the development and implementation of projects that promote compliance with international standards. The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund provides technical assistance on trade facilitation to help developing countries participate effectively in multilateral trade negotiations. This assistance includes training to government officials in World Trade Organization rules and negotiating mechanisms to ensure that the trade interests of member countries are represented, particularly in the complex Doha Round negotiations. The Aid for Trade Initiative was launched in 2005, as a result of an agreement between World Trade Organization members to help developing countries use trade as an engine for growth and poverty reduction. The Aid for Trade Initiative helps developing countries build the production capacity and trade-related infrastructure needed to implement and benefit from trade agreements and to expand their trade. It also supports the implementation of trade facilitation measures and the improvement of trade standards.